The top Democrat on the House education committee is potentially facing a second challenge to his leadership amid broader frustrations over the caucus’ long-standing deference to seniority.
Rep. Bobby Scott already set out to defend his record on the House Education and Workforce Committee last week after Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) launched a formal bid for his spot on the panel. Now, one of the Virginia Democrat’s allies, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), says she is “not ruling anything out” about making her own run.
“I want the best leadership for the committee. I’ve been on the committee for a long time and [am] just exploring all the options,” Bonamici, who has served on the panel since 2013, said in an interview. “It’s a really important committee. I care about it a lot. It’s important for our future.”
The race for Scott’s position — and potentially the committee gavel, if Democrats flip the chamber in the midterms — is the latest example of the angst within the caucus about leadership opportunities. It also reflects the interest Democrats have in ramping up oversight of the Trump administration and its efforts to dismantle the Education Department, scrutiny that sparked Hayes’ run against Scott, who is 26 years older.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday that he has spoken with both Scott and Hayes but declined to say more.
Scott, who is 79 and has served as the House education committee’s top Democrat since 2015, often delegates the more attention-grabbing aspects of ranking member to others, particularly former teachers serving on the panel.
When House Democrats marched to Education Department headquarters demanding to meet with agency leaders early last year, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) took the lead. And Bonamici led a resolution to impeach Education Secretary Linda McMahon earlier this year with the support of other committee members and House lawmakers — a resolution where Scott isn’t a co-sponsor.
“Ranking member Scott has his role as the ranking member, but I think it’s up to Congresswoman Bonamici, myself and others to build support,” Takano said in an interview earlier this summer, when asked if Scott should support the effort to impeach McMahon.
Scott doesn’t seem worried and repeatedly said he would let his work speak for itself. He also used a Dear Colleague letter to dissuade any concerns about his leadership style and demeanor.
“While I have no qualms about sharing the spotlight with my colleagues, I want to be clear that my colleagues should not confuse my humility with an inability to deliver results,” Scott wrote in a letter to colleagues declaring his candidacy to continue leading Democrats on the committee.
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